cynn

Old English

Alternative forms

• cyn
• kyn

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *kuni, from Proto-Germanic *kunją.

Cognate with Old Frisian kin, Old Saxon kunni, Old Dutch *kunni, Old High German kunni, Old Norse kyn, Gothic 𐌺𐌿𐌽𐌹 (kuni). The Indo-European root is also the source of Ancient Greek γένος (génos), Latin genus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kynn/, [kyn]

Noun

cynn n

1. kind
   • c. 992, Ælfric, "The Nativity of St. John the Baptist"

     Twā forhæfdnesse cynn sind. Ān is līchamlīċ, ōðer gāstlīċ.

     There are two kinds of restraint. One is physical, the other spiritual.

   • c. 1021, Wulfstan, Winchester Code of Cnut, article 5.1:

     Hǣðensċipe biþ þæt man dēofolġield weorðiġe, þæt is þæt man weorðiġe hǣðenu godu and sunnan oþþe mōnan, fȳr oþþe flōd, wæterwiellas oþþe stānas oþþe ǣniġes cynnes wudutreowu, oþþe wiċċecræft lufiġe oþþe morðweorc ġefremme on ǣniġe wīsan, oþþe on blōte oþþe frihte, oþþe swelcra gedwimera ǣniġ þing drēoge.

     Worshiping idols is a kind of paganism, whether one worships heathen gods and the sun or the moon, or fire or flood, or wells or stones or any kind of forest trees, or if one loves witchcraft or commits murder in any way, either by sacrifice or by divination, or takes any part in similar delusions.

2. tribe, race, species
   • c. 995, Ælfric, Extracts on Grammar in English

     Tigris is ān ēa and ānes cynnes dēor.

     Tigris [Latin for "tiger"] is a river and a species of animal.

3. family (especially regarding a lineage)
   • late 9th century, translation of Orosius' History Against the Pagans

     Be þām hringum man meahte witan hwæt Rōmāna duguþe ġefeallen wæs, for þon þe hit wæs þēaw mid him on þām dagum þæt nān ōðer ne mōste gyldenne hring werian būtan hē æðeles cynnes wǣre.

     You could tell by the rings how much of the Roman nobility had fallen, because the custom back then was that no one could wear a gold ring unless they were from a noble family.

4. (grammar) gender
   • c. 995, Ælfric, Extracts on Grammar in English

     Is ēac tō witenne þæt naman bēoþ oft ōðres cynnes on Lǣden and ōðres cynnes on Englisċ.

     Note also that nouns are often one gender in Latin and another gender in English.

5. (rare) natural gender

Declension

Declension of cynn (strong a-stem)

Case	Singular	Plural
nominative	cynn	cynn
accusative	cynn	cynn
genitive	cynnes	cynna
dative	cynne	cynnum

Derived terms

• Angelcynn
• cynecynn
• framcynn
• frumcynn
• ielfcynn
• mancynn
• wǣpnedcynn
• wīfcynn

 

Related terms

• cyne-
• ġecynd

 

Descendants

• Middle English: kin, kyn, ken, kun
  • English: kin
  • Scots: kin

See also

• hyse